Sugar Cookie Cut Out Recipe
Finally, a cut out sugar cookie recipe that results in perfectly chewy cookies that actually hold the shape of the cookie cutter! Plus, it’s so easy to follow you’ll actually enjoy doing it with your kids.
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups (300g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened 1 stick
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 ½ cups (339g) unsalted butter 3 sticks, softened
- 4 cups (454g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 Tbsp milk or heavy cream works great too
OR Royal Icing Frosting
- 2 cups (227g) powdered sugar sifted
- 2 Tbsp milk or warm water
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a spoon or fork. Set aside.2 1/2 cups (300g) all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a mixing bowl, combine the room temperature butter and sugar, beat with an electric mixer for 90 seconds.1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- Add in the egg, vanilla & almond extracts and beat for 1 minute.1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp almond extract
- Add the flour in thirds, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. The dough will initially look crumbly almost sandy. But continue to mix until the mixture is thick and sticks together. Use your hands to gently knead the dough together at the very end of the mixing process - knead for only 20-30 seconds.
- Divide the dough into 2 flat discs, cover each with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill. The dough can be left in the fridge to chill for up to 2 days.
- After chilling, remove one disc and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- On a very lightly floured surface (and I mean minimal) use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Frequently I will roll my dough on a silicone baking mat to eliminate the need to use flour.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. Remove the dough scraps and use a spatula to transfer the shapes to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Bake for 9-10 minutes. If your oven has a hot spot, rotate the cookie sheet half way through.
- The cookies will be pale in color - but will continue baking slightly once removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Then move to a cooling rack. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. If your dough is out of the fridge for too long, wrap it and chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting them.
Buttercream Frosting
- Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl, beat using an electric mixer for 90 seconds.1 1/2 cups (339g) unsalted butter
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, I usually do 2 cups at a time, and add the vanilla and almond extracts, beat again.4 cups (454g) powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp almond extract
- Taste the frosting to see if you want it sweeter. I liked the way mine turned out with 4 cups of powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick add 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream, beat until creamy.1 Tbsp milk
- Decide how many colors you want and divide the frosting into bowls accordingly. Add a small amount of gel food coloring to each bowl, using a spoon or spatula to mix until the color is even.
- Use piping bags fit with small round tips to pipe the frosting on or use spreaders to spread on the frosting. Add sprinkles if desired.
- Allow the frosting to harden for several hours or overnight. I usually place my cookies on baking sheets and cover with lids or tent with tin foil.
Royal Icing Frosting
- In a medium to small sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients (minus the gel food coloring) and mix with a spatula or mixer until smooth. Add more milk or water, 1 tsp at a time, if the frosting is too thick. Divide into bowls and add gel food coloring. Transfer to piping bags or squeeze bottles to easily decorate the cookies.2 cups (227g) powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk or warm water, 1 Tbsp corn syrup, 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Video
Notes
No chill cut out sugar cookies
- You will need to use COLD butter instead of softened butter. Using cold butter and working fast, the dough will still be cold enough to maintain it’s shape when baking right away.
- I do recommend that you chill the dough between baking the batches - either in a disc or pre-cut shapes.
How to freeze baked cut out cookies?
Say you already baked the cookies and now you want to freeze them. I found that the best way to freeze already baked cut out sugar cookies is to…- Make sure they are completely cool first and unfrosted. This method works for unfrosted cookies.
- Stack like shapes together (for example stack the candy canes together or stack the gingerbread men together) and place a small piece of parchment paper between each cookie. I like to stack mine about 4-5 cookies high.
- Wrap the stacks well in plastic wrap.
- Place the bundles inside a ziplock freezer bag or inside a freezer container.
- To thaw, remove the cookies from the bag (keep them inside their plastic wrap) and thaw on the counter. If you store the cookies inside a container, you can simply place the whole container on the counter to thaw.
Can you freeze cut out sugar cookie dough?
Yes! Lets talk about the 2 different methods you could use.. Option 1: Flatten dough into disc- You can freeze this cookie dough by dividing it in half and flattening each half into a disc. Wrap each disc well with plastic wrap and place inside a freezer bag or container. To thaw, place the dough in the fridge overnight.
- Roll out the dough after making it and cut into your desired shapes
- Place the shapes on a silicone or wax paper lined baking sheet and freezer for 1-2 hours, or until frozen.
- Once frozen, remove the shapes from the pan, wrap like shapes together in plastic wrap and store inside a freezer bag or container.
- To thaw, unwrap from the plastic, place the shapes on a silicone lined baking sheet on the counter and allow them to thaw for 15-25 minutes before baking. You want the shapes to still be cold, but not frozen.
Nutrition
Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 486IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg